Aloha, Friend.
With 2022 already over a month old, Congress and I are focused on a host of difficult issues. I want once again to update you on some of my priorities and to ask for your own thoughts and guidance through this anonymous online survey here.
Inflation/Cost of Living. We are all facing heavy cost increases in all parts of our everyday lives, arising from national inflation at the highest levels in decades and other reasons that are more specific to our Hawaiʻi. Inflation is resulting from a perfect storm of factors, from continued low interest rates to trillions in federal COVID-19 relief, disrupted and restricted supply chains from both COVID and other reasons, COVID-specific labor shortages, specific shortages in key areas like computer chips and other reasons, all of which are leading to a greater supply of dollars chasing a lower supply of goods and services.
There is no silver bullet that will return us to low inflation tomorrow; we must focus on each of the causes so that they add up to a reversal of pervasive inflation as soon as possible without damaging our overall economic recovery. For me in Congress this means (1) targeting any further COVID-19 relief to specific needs, (2) continuing to reduce COVID and return to a fully functioning society, and (3) freeing up key supply chain restrictions. My U.S. House took a critical step especially on supply chains with passage last week of our COMPETES Act; more on that measure here.
COVID-19. Although the current Omicron variant appears to be declining, the now-more than 900,000 of our ‘ohana lost, along with continued widespread devastation in many communities and impacts on all of our lives, are stark reminders that we are not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot. The science and statistics are clear that the best way forward continues to be widespread vaccinations, masks, and appropriate precautions and targeted restrictions.
While many of the decisions on appropriate state and local restrictions are best made in those communities, our federal government is best focused on continuing to assure full funding for continued scientific research, development and especially distribution of vaccines, assistance to our strapped health care workers, and widespread availability of masks and testing.
As one specific effort, I joined my Hawaiʻi Congressional delegation and our state partners in obtaining funding here for hundreds of extra health care workers to help our selfless but overburdened local workers get through this current surge. Our federal government is also distributing hundreds of millions of free masks and home testing kits; information on that is here .
Red Hill. Since late November when the Red Hill/Navy water system crisis commenced, my full focus has been on working with my Hawaiʻi
congressional delegation partners to (a) get to the bottom of what exactly happened and why, (b) assure that our directly impacted families are fully cared for and returned to their homes and lives as soon as possible, (c) stabilize the facility, remove any remaining contamination from our water supply and restore public confidence in the safety of our drinking water, and (d) fully support and carry out the State of Hawaii’s emergency order which requires the full defueling of the facility.
Besides close coordination with and strict and constant oversight of our military, this will require hundreds of millions of dollars in the short-term and billions in the mid-term, and I have been especially focused, as a member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations and of our Subcommittee on Military Construction, on assuring that funding.
Today the U.S. House included initial funding of $403 million for these efforts in a measure we expect to pass Congress in the next few days; more here. Additionally, in Congress’ annual law authorizing all defense spending (the NDAA), I successfully included an amendment here that requires the Department of Defense, as a matter of federal law, to pursue alternatives to Red Hill including outside Hawai’i specifically.
$1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In a too-rare success for Congress in these deeply divided times, last November we passed and the President signed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL), a once-in-a-generation reinvestment in our crumbling infrastructure. I fought hard to get this bill through Congress, not only because of the critical need to upgrade our infrastructure both nationally and throughout our Hawaiʻi, but equally because I believe it is critical for Congress to work together wherever and however we can to get things done.
In Hawaiʻi we expect over $3 billion of additional federal assistance from BIL, and I’m working with my state, county and community partners to assure that we can take full advantage of all of the opportunities BIL provides. Already we’ve succeeded in targeting close to $500 million from BIL to fixing our airports and highway infrastructure – you can read about those efforts here.
I’m especially focused on the largest-ever investments by BIL in achieving our longstanding goal of extending quality broadband throughout all our Hawaiʻi to fully enable our communication needs in health care, education, business and all other aspects of our lives, as has become even more clear throughout COVID.
International Relations Especially China and Russia. As if our plates weren’t full enough with domestic and state/local challenges, we live in an increasingly difficult and perilous world. I reject the view of some that we should focus exclusively on our own domestic concerns, that somehow we are insulated from the rest of the world, that what happens in Asia and the Pacific or Europe or elsewhere is not our concern; history and current reality teach us a very different lesson. We face this choice in Ukraine, an independent country aligned with our values and goals, where any Russian invasion would not only breach every international rule but, if not responded to, embolden other countries such as China, Iran and North Korea.
I support President Biden’s approach to date of working closely with our allies and friends to assemble a package of crushing international sanctions should Russia invade, to assist Ukraine with its own defense needs, and to deploy some U.S. troops to adjacent countries but not to Ukraine itself. In China we continue to faced our most serious challenge, and I similarly support the initiatives of this and prior administrations to strengthen our joint efforts with current and potential allies and friends to counter the unacceptable actions of China in many areas.
I have been especially focused in strengthening our ties and assistance to our ‘ohana in our own back yard, the Pacific, through my bipartisan U.S. House Pacific Islands Caucus, which I co-founded and co-chair. Our main initiative, our Boosting Longterm U.S. Engagement in the Pacific (BLUE Pacific) Act here was largely included in our COMPETES Act which just passed the House.
Appropriations. The federal funding required to implement our goals on inflation, COVID, Red Hill, infrastructure, foreign affairs and other specific challenges, in addition to the $1.5 trillion year-in, year-out operation of our federal government, all flow through my Appropriations Committee. In the first half of every year, in advance of commencement of the federal fiscal year on October 1st, I devote much of my time and effort to developing my own requests to the Committee with a special focus on what Hawaiʻi needs. This involves reaching out especially to partners in state and county government and communities to confirm needs and opportunities for federal funding, and then asking for submissions to my office of specific requests for funding.
As part of this effort, last week Congressman Kahele and I again hosted our annual “Federal Funding For Hawaiʻi” training session for our partners; a replay of that session is here. Further, I am welcoming specific funding proposals through March 1st off my website here.
Anonymous Online Survey. As always, I want, need and welcome your guidance and comments. As one way, I would deeply appreciate your taking this anonymous online survey here on your own priorities and some of the issues I’ve discussed. Please feel free to use the survey to add any additional input on any issue. Please note that as this is anonymous, I won’t be able to respond directly to you on any survey questions or comments. So if you’d like me to respond specifically, please mail me directly at ed.case@mail.house.gov.
We are all in all of this together. I deeply appreciate your own attention and participation as I work to find the best way forward for our country and Hawaiʻi in Congress. For more information on my efforts, please visit my website at case.house.gov. If I can help you and yours with your own questions and needs, please reach out to me at ed.case@mail.house.gov.
Be well, and be safe.
